Locals Among Honorees

Sports Hall Picks 30 Nominees

Seven individuals from the Peninsula joined the elite when the Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame announced its 1998 nominees this week.

The organization will announce inductees at a July press conference and recognize them Oct. 17 at the Norfolk Marriott.

Thirty people were nominated. Those with Peninsula ties include:

* Leroy Keyes, a 1964 graduate of Carver High School in Newport News, is the No. 2 all-time leading rusher for Purdue University. In 1968, he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up to O.J. Simpson. Keyes went on to play five years in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles.

* Earl Faison, an All-Pro defensive lineman with the San Diego Chargers, attended Huntington High in Newport News.

* Raymond Crittenden was a standout football and basketball player at Virginia State. He coached Faison at Huntington.

* Vivian Green of Smithfield earned her nomination based on her basketball career at Norfolk State. In the mid-'70s, she led the Spartans to the CIAA title.

* Robert Moorman was nominated for his contributions as CIAA commissioner from 1976-89.

* Willie Gillus, now coaching football at Surry County High, played for the Green Bay Packers. He was the first African-American quarterback to play for the team.

* The final nominee with Peninsula connections is William ``Buck'' Nielson. From 1955-69, Nielson coached Hampton Institute to seven CIAA tennis titles.